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The three-story, 58,000-sf Pennovation Center, as it’s being called, will be at the heart of Pennovation Works, a blend of offices, labs, and production spaces situated within 23 acres along the Schuykill River and adjacent to the university’s main campus in Philadelphia. Renderings courtesy HWKN

Recent from Building Team

The three-story, 58,000-sf Pennovation Center, as it’s being called, will be at the heart of Pennovation Works, a blend of offices, labs, and production spaces situated within 23 acres along the Schuykill River and adjacent to the university’s main campus in Philadelphia. Renderings courtesy HWKN

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Eight years into the transformation of an elevated section of New York Central Railroad’s West Side Line into a public park, the $273 million project is being hailed as a resounding win for the city. Photo: Beyond My Ken via Wikimedia Commons

Designing the process of leadership transition

Transition planning can be one of the more complex challenges that firms face. Effective plans begin by determining the gap between a firm’s current state and the future it envisions for itself. SPONSORED CONTENT

That’s an essential question for AEC firms to resolve, writes Greenway Group Principal Bob Fisher in a Design Intelligence post.

“Leaders can attract and inspire the right teams to make great work in a well-managed enterprise, or they can create an environment of mistrust and mediocrity that brings down a formerly thriving practice,” he says.

But transition planning can be one of the more complex challenges that firms face. Effective plans begin by determining the gap between a firm’s current state and the future it envisions for itself.

Here are some key questions he suggests asking:

Do we have the right leadership organization to accomplish our strategy?

Do we have the right leadership roles and positions in place?

Do we have the right purpose descriptions for our leadership roles and positions?

What are the key indicators of success for each role?

What are the gaps that could prevent us from implementing our strategy?

Answers to these and other questions will help determine whether to pursue a significant redesign of your organizational structure or a simple realignment of roles.

Successful plans also account for transitioning client relationships and maintaining alignment and support among staff who are not moving into leadership roles.

“Leadership transition can be mistaken for a one-time deal in which current leaders can rest once the right bodies are in place,” Fisher writes. “However, top firms see leadership transition in the same light as strategic planning or communication: it’s an ongoing cycle and natural part of running the organization.”

Steven Burns, FAIA, spent 14 years managing the firm Burns + Beyerl Architects, during that time the firm’s earnings grew at an average rate of 24% per year. After creating ArchiOffice®, the intelligent office, project management and time tracking solution for architectural firms, Steve took his management expertise to BQE Software, where he is refining their business strategy and product development.

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Employers can support employees' personal growth by encouraging them to take courses online or be mentored by more senior employees. Photo courtesy of Evan Bench/Wikimedia Commons.

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The three-story, 58,000-sf Pennovation Center, as it’s being called, will be at the heart of Pennovation Works, a blend of offices, labs, and production spaces situated within 23 acres along the Schuykill River and adjacent to the university’s main campus in Philadelphia. Renderings courtesy HWKN

Eight years into the transformation of an elevated section of New York Central Railroad’s West Side Line into a public park, the $273 million project is being hailed as a resounding win for the city. Photo: Beyond My Ken via Wikimedia Commons

This rendering shows the inside of the proposed Charleston South building looking west. Within the canopy, building segments operate like furniture—light, tactile and reconfigurable. These segments form small villages where employees can work or relax. Renderings courtesy Google, BIG, Thomas Heatherwick